Casual beginner combat-averse build suggestions

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hector_doepos
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Casual beginner combat-averse build suggestions

Post by hector_doepos » Thu Aug 23, 2018 4:44 pm

Hello Forum,

Starting to get the hang of this!

Does anyone have any advice for beginner, starting builds for someone that wants to avoid combat and focus on the RP side of things?

Unfortunately, I cannot dedicate a lot of time to this right now but I'm looking for ways to get embroiled in (or at least witness) the trade, politics and conspiracy within Arelith's social centers. I'm particularly curious about the occult mysteries, which I plan on seeking out as soon as possible.

In other threads I've read mentions of certain 'bardsong bards' or 'conj cleric' builds - is that what I should start with? I'm guessing that you need to start with some kind of more generic D&D shell and work your own personal ambitions (paranormal detective? occult scholar?) in as you go- Adjusting your ideas as you learn about the nature and history of this world. MoD and adventure XP seem like cool features! But I'm guessing that if i want to really explore the world and these occult 'summoning streams' I will need combat XP also - so I'm wondering about how to do this efficiently..

Right now - I'm a level 3 slave bard, naked and diseased wandering the sewers of a city that I do not remember the name of. I guess I'm a little lost.

Thankyou! :mrgreen:

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Re: Casual beginner combat-averse build suggestions

Post by Tourmaline » Thu Aug 23, 2018 5:37 pm

One little issue is, most advice you're going to see on the forums is about what builds are strongest in PVP at level 30. Not what has little trouble conquering PVE along the way. Carefully built bards are extremely strong at the end but they are late bloomers and aren't anywhere near the top of list of classes easy to level from 1-20.

All told if you don't like combat and just want to RP and explore you probably want a class with strong summons to do your work and a way to hide in the background to heal and buff them and/or any party you might be with. Wizards, clerics, druids and shadowdancers are all powerful in PVE and very forgiving classes to play even if you don't have any idea how to build them (though, learn how to build them.) Wizards, druids and some clerics (depending on which deity, naturally) also have very strong and active factions they can get involved with right away instead of bumbling around the city looking for purpose.

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Re: Casual beginner combat-averse build suggestions

Post by Echohawk » Thu Aug 23, 2018 6:06 pm

If you want an RP build, that literally can be anything, but if you want to mesh it with something that can hold its own in pvp it's just a matter of tweaking it however you like. My first character was a cleric who took some bard levels after I got some build advice. I enjoyed it.

It more comes down to what you enjoy about d&d or perhaps trying something new. I enjoyed the Gods and lore in that spiritual aspect so the cleric/paladin/druid was my first leaning. And while some people make massive backstories with lots of details, the most fun I've personally had is starting simple, and growing with the experiences through the game. It does take patience.
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hector_doepos
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Re: Casual beginner combat-averse build suggestions

Post by hector_doepos » Thu Aug 23, 2018 6:39 pm

Appreciate the responses. This community seems super nice:)!
Echohawk wrote:
Thu Aug 23, 2018 6:06 pm
It more comes down to what you enjoy about d&d or perhaps trying something new.

From the couple of one-off D&D games I have played - I'm definitely more interested in exploration and player interaction than combat (which I have generally found to be a little boring!).
Echohawk wrote:
Thu Aug 23, 2018 6:06 pm
If you want an RP build, that literally can be anything, but if you want to mesh it with something that can hold its own in pvp it's just a matter of tweaking it however you like.
I have no interest in PVP at this point. And I'm not really interested in the specifics of my spells/attributes build etc. - I hope this is not blasphemay to admit! I just want something functional and simple so I can explore and grow with experience. I still have to get to a certain level to do most things and explore, right?

Tourmaline wrote:
Thu Aug 23, 2018 5:37 pm
All told if you don't like combat and just want to RP and explore you probably want a class with strong summons to do your work and a way to hide in the background to heal and buff them and/or any party you might be with.

I think the suggestion of a summons PvE class is helpful! I like the idea of making any necessary levelling and PVE stuff as easy as possible.

A bit off topic but, do you happen to know where I might be able to find a good base summons/healer cleric build? I think of those mentioned, that would fit best with some of the vague ideas I have in mind...

Thanks :)

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Re: Casual beginner combat-averse build suggestions

Post by Echohawk » Thu Aug 23, 2018 7:01 pm

It's not blasphemy by any stretch of the imagination. I've been playing for about two years now, and I'm no where near to seeing everything the server has to offer. I will always pine for more DM stories and epic ventures, but there is just so much to see without a single drop of pvp, lots of challenges. I really can't get enough.

It took me a while to get used to pvp, and I'm still not a major fan of it. I just know also that other players don't play by my personal rules, they play by the server rules (or at least they should). So while you don't have to care one little bit about pvp, just know that it's an element you may come into contact with.
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Re: Casual beginner combat-averse build suggestions

Post by Aelryn Bloodmoon » Thu Aug 23, 2018 7:41 pm

Echohawk wrote:
Thu Aug 23, 2018 7:01 pm
It's not blasphemy by any stretch of the imagination. I've been playing for about two years now, and I'm no where near to seeing everything the server has to offer. I will always pine for more DM stories and epic ventures, but there is just so much to see without a single drop of pvp, lots of challenges. I really can't get enough.

It took me a while to get used to pvp, and I'm still not a major fan of it. I just know also that other players don't play by my personal rules, they play by the server rules (or at least they should). So while you don't have to care one little bit about pvp, just know that it's an element you may come into contact with.
This sums up the truth of the situation pretty nicely. If you are okay with putting your character in a bubble that never interacts with anyone that functions as some sort of figure of importance, be it a moral/spiritual guide, a guard sergeant/captain/commander, a chancellor/mayor, or any other person involved in any group of people beyond themselves, then you might be able to avoid PvP, if of the remaining population of characters they all agree with all of your character's moral/ethical dictations 100% of the time.

The premise of the Forgotten Realms and stories within it is the High Fantasy Good vs. Evil with Greater Force of Balance(Ao) between them to keep both sides from completely destroying the other, oh and Nature/the Planet is/are also god(s). Conflict is basically inevitable, but one hopes it can be productive for both sides in some way typically.

Expect to run for your life, a lot. There is no shame in this if you feel you can't win- it's far smarter than staying in a fight you know is lost, unless your sacrifice means something somehow otherwise.

Haste/expeditious retreat are both pretty useful for this, and available in potion format. Same for invisibility- and if you have a lot of gold to throw around and UMD, wands of these are better, and scrolls of greater sanctuary are a nice touch to save you- and also typically long enough to chug an attunement potion or even use a lens.
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Re: Casual beginner combat-averse build suggestions

Post by StrykerMontgomery » Thu Aug 23, 2018 8:12 pm

So again. With the whole "be involved in roleplay" any class can. The question is what flavour. Shadowdancer is great for PvE and if you want to be involves in subterfuge RP have the feeling if being a sneak etc. A schollary wizard or fsithful cleric is difference. Of wizard or cleric (they both go for the conjuration spell focuses). There should be a cookie cutter build for both cleric and the wizard if that is what you were going for. If links are still broken/no access. We can try building you from scratch. But essentially its 27 or 26 lvl of the caster class and then dumping into bard for umd/tumble/discipline (all really useful skills PvE or PvP and you still have all yourbepic castinf by then
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Marsi
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Re: Casual beginner combat-averse build suggestions

Post by Marsi » Thu Aug 23, 2018 8:53 pm

Conjuration cleric is pretty much the quintessential (non-fighter) autopilot build. You don't have to think about it, but you won't be useless when the time comes. And it might. Like others have said, you can't separate conflict from RP. The last character (more or less) I played was a generic cleric for much the same reason as yours: I didn't consider him a fighter. He entered politics to be a quiet, obsessive economics dude and ended up seeing more bloodshed than any of my characters had in 6 years. The regime he was a part of would go on to lead the destruction of a settlement.

You never know how the story will go, and many "RP Builds" end up as "Power Build" remakes when the player realises they have something worth fighting for.

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Re: Casual beginner combat-averse build suggestions

Post by The Kriv » Thu Aug 23, 2018 11:33 pm

hector_doepos wrote:
Thu Aug 23, 2018 6:39 pm

From the couple of one-off D&D games I have played - I'm definitely more interested in exploration and player interaction than combat (which I have generally found to be a little boring!)
If you want to avoid combat, a decently built stealther character will get you around with minimal combat.
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The1Kobra
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Re: Casual beginner combat-averse build suggestions

Post by The1Kobra » Fri Aug 24, 2018 12:22 am

If you want to be involved in non-combat roleplay, and generally don't have a lot of time on your hands, I'd recommend either a cleric or wizard. The thing about them is they can be simple to play (can have a summon do a lot of what you need to handle in PvM), and if you take craft wand, (and scroll for cleric), they can be involved in plenty of mercantile RP with their wand and scroll crafting. Even if you're not contributing in battle, your PC can contribute to their cause with a steady stream of high in demand supplies. Taking enchantment focus for equipment crafting is also recommended, though is easier to fit on a mage than on a cleric. (Plus they have more spells that use the focus than clerics do)

The other thing I might recommend is a bard with brew potion. They're the only ones able to make war cry potions.

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Re: Casual beginner combat-averse build suggestions

Post by The GrumpyCat » Fri Aug 24, 2018 2:48 pm

I'm presuming that by 'not being interested in pvp' you're not 100% adverse, but you won't be going looking out for it, and you're not interested in a build that is based around it. Which is fair enough. I'm terrible at builds myself, but I can drop one or two suggestions.

1) DO Try Bard, OR Rogue, OR Wizard. Cleric isn't bad either. Bards have good rp hooks in that they're socialbe creatures and bardsong makes them gooe with others, but they're not so good at solo stuff. Rogues are a little better (thanks to sneak) and are useful in their skills - parties will hopefully want you around for picking locks, removing traps, ect. Wizards have some amazing spell abilities (-Yoink, -Scry, Wand Crafting, Potion Crafting) and with Conjouration focus are relitivly soloable, though not very. Still, those three clases occur to me as three with some good rp material in them. Especialy Wizard.

2) DO play a surfacer. The Underdark is really awsome, and I'd definatly recommend EVERYONE gives it a go, but maybe not on their very first character - unless that kind of rp is really your scene. It's rather cut throat down there, in various ways. Lots of fun, welcoming group of people, but to get the 'hang' of arelith... especialy if you arn't very interested in PvP, I'd really recommend a surface race first.

3) DON'T go Slave or Outcast- yes they're options, but best not take them yet as they're basicaly underdark characters, and see the above point for that.

4) DON'T get an MOD on your first character. On your second? Go for it. It's a great mechanic and a lot of fun, and does fit around not having much time to play, with that extra bit of xp being really useful. But as you start to get the hang of Arelith you may find yourself dying a lot. So not having the stress of the MoD as well is good. Get a rough handle on how things are - you don't need to be an expert, but just a 'feel' of the difficulty levels - especialy at the early part of the game. When you've got that, by all means ask for an MoD.

That's all the advice I have off hand.
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Re: Casual beginner combat-averse build suggestions

Post by Peppermint » Sat Aug 25, 2018 6:37 am

Bards really aren't so bad at soloing content at all.

I played a bardadin from 1-25. Assuming you're strength-based, you just play like a slightly worse fighter early game. By the time content starts picking up in challenge, you've already access to your divine feats, which grants you a significant edge against difficult encounters.

Honestly? It was probably the easiest PvE experience I've had.

hector_doepos
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Re: Casual beginner combat-averse build suggestions

Post by hector_doepos » Sat Aug 25, 2018 6:33 pm

Wow, I really appreciate all of the responses here. Feel like I've learned a lot about the nature of RP and combat in Arelith - and how to spend my (limited) time wisely!
DM GrumpyCat wrote:
Fri Aug 24, 2018 2:48 pm
I'm presuming that by 'not being interested in pvp' you're not 100% adverse, but you won't be going looking out for it, and you're not interested in a build that is based around it.
Yep. pretty much!
StrykerMontgomery wrote:
Thu Aug 23, 2018 8:12 pm
There should be a cookie cutter build for both cleric and the wizard if that is what you were going for.
Was helpful to have an awareness that these cookie cutter builds exist - I managed to find the forum threads.
I did a whole bunch of research into Wizard/Cleric builds, and decided to roll a Cleric Necromancer due to finding it to have the most interesting RP concept. Things are making much more sense now that I have done some build research!

DM GrumpyCat wrote:
Fri Aug 24, 2018 2:48 pm

1) DO Try Bard, OR Rogue, OR Wizard. Cleric isn't bad either
...

2) DO play a surfacer.
...

3) DON'T go Slave or Outcast
...
This was super helpful, specific advice and I have taken on board. Not being a slave/outcast has made my first steps much more straightforward!

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